Fateful
by DarkHiems-hime
Summary: The life of a shinobi is hardworking, even for the Hyuuga prodigy. It can also be disturbing at some points. [oneshot, no pairings, just a glance into Neji's life]


**Summary: **The life of an ANBU shinobi is hardworking, even for the Hyuuga prodigy. It can also be disturbing at some points.

**Disclaimer: **Nope, don't own. But I do wish.

**Reason: **First, I want to post a one-shot to see the reaction I get from it. I'm posting a Naruto fic for the first time after all. And it's one of the few completely serious fics I've written too, so I wanted to see how I dealt with the new style. And with a unique kind of character, Hyuuga Neji-sama xDD And I'm a (rabid) NejiTenten fan, but I wanted a new approach. And this was the result. Enjoy.

**Warnings: **Spoilers for a part of Neji's position in the Shippuuden?

**DarkFangs:** Set in the future, obviously. When Team Gai's around 17, so that'll make Naruto and the gang 16. And review. Onegai?

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Fateful

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_Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai_.

ANBU.

To be a part of the Special Forces that get direct orders from the Kages, that only get S-ranked and A-ranked missions, it took a lot of work.

It was like that for generations on end, it never changed. Much like Fate didn't.

It was harsh to attend your first Chuunin Shiken when you were used to easy D and C-ranked meaningless missions. It was harsher to realize those aren't that meaningless either; they were the basic, the essential notions you needed to have, such as teamwork, synchronization, improvising, quick (sometimes difficult) thinking, economizing provisions and weapons, finishing the mission no matter what. It was harsh, but if a Genin truly wanted to advance, they needed the information to sink in, accept it and go on with it. Luckily, becoming a Chuunin.

It wasn't as harsh when one became a Jounin. Not that it was simpler; it wasn't. But B-ranked missions left scars. Invisible ones that cannot be seen by the Byakugan or the Sharingan, can't be scented by any Inuzuka or Kyuubi vessel. One became unfeeling to certain things. One wasn't as… human, so to say. It was merely different. On the first few, it wasn't noticeable. But as they came, each one worse than the last one, the scars increased and shinobi learned. Silently, - reluctantly – they nodded and continued their mission. But the final test to be a Jounin was the worst.

They became exposed. In the worst kinds of ways too. They could fall to their knees, be stripped of their dignity, forced to perform the most unfathomable of things. All of those were performed by fellow Jounin, fully masked and unrecognizable. If a Chuunin failed, then they would not be able to get the so called revenge for it. Not that it would matter, they wouldn't be able to anyways. But it was better this way. Sometimes, if the Chuunin was indeed worth it, they'd even send an ANBU for the test.

Those cases were rare.

And Hyuuga Neji was one of those cases.

To be a part of the Special Forces that get direct orders from the Kages, that only get S-ranked and A-ranked missions, it took a lot of work. Out of him, out of everyone there. But not as much out of him; he was a genius after all. He already knew what to expect.

But he was called to it, by the Godaime, and was offered a seat. The young prodigy, even if his answer was already decided, took the required two days to think and weight his options. Once he returned to the Hokage's office, he merely nodded his reply.

That motion was enough to map out the next six months of his life. He spent them on a sole mission, along with a designated squad, to fully evaluate him and show his true value.

The mission was complete in due time and easily accomplished.

And a lone, pristine white mask was given to him in the end. It was up to him to do what he wished with it, except throwing it away. Instead of the mask of blankness he chose to show his acquaintances, this would be his new one. It was meant to be.

It was also because of his status that he was where he was. Kaminari no Kuni. A risky place for a Hyuuga to be, if one remembered the events over 10 years ago, when a few members of Kumogakure no Sato decided to offer a peace treaty and, in their backs, tried to kidnap Hinata-sama. Neji immediately interrupted this particular trail of thoughts before it hopelessly came to his father's part in all of it. _Right now, such thoughts will lead to distraction and that's something I do not need._

He was also working with a few members of said village. After all, they were part of the Alliance and it wasn't his place to glare, cross his arms and refuse to do it. Well, not in front of the Godaime in the least. Unfortunately, he found out that neither his squad's nor their allies' intellect rivalled his own, so stupidity was part of the mission too. Not so much; they were all ANBU after all. But some, up till some point. It was part of the job, he was forced to accept; except on those rare occasions when one of the ANBU's squad captains, Nara Shikamaru, joined him.

Even if most ANBU members never knew with whom they were working with. The squads were made practically as soon as they were broken. Finish the mission; forget the partners. Go in, get out, come back (in one piece, if possible), that was all there was to it.

In the current mission, one of the Kumo nins had been captured by the enemy nins; they wore no hitai-ates, but were obviously nuke nins. They didn't care as much as they did back in their Genin days to do everything they could to save their fellow companion. But since the mission was about all nuke nins' assassination, she would be lucky. Just this once. Then again, she was the one stupid enough to get poisoned, fall behind and get caught.

Neji did not bother to signal the other squad; he merely lifted two fingers for his own squad to see and they were gone, sandaled feet whispering along the tree branches as they advanced, nearer and nearer towards the unexpected group of nins.

They were occupying an old shack, big enough to accommodate the fourteen individuals that were inside, but also small enough to be ignored. At first, they had thought they used the woods they were at to hide, but the Byakugan quickly cleared that. None of them would think of hiding in clear view, but none of them were complaining about said fact.

There were seven of them, without counting their captured member. Almost two for each of them. But they had the cover of the darkness, despite the full moon over their heads. It would not take them long.

A lock was picked half way, until the door was yanked open from within. Four of the nins walked outside, closing the door behind them and each dropping into a defensive pose.

The first three never even felt the handful of poisoned senbon that hit their skin and would die within seconds without ever knowing their killer.

The last of the four never let out the scream he meant to due to the clean cut across his throat that gave it a premature death. The nin responsible for all the deaths retreated backwards near the others and waited while four Kumo nins quickly took care of the bodies.

_Nine left._

The ground then shook and all of them separated. So they were now aware of their presence. Five of them entered the shack while the remaining two stood by and dealt with the Duton jutsu. Cries and cuts and spilled blood were heard through the night as two lone birds took off and fled from the tall trees.

Their entrance allowed them to finish off three more with just the need of throwing shuriken, no real effort. _Six left._ In truth, it was meant to be four, but the last one managed to dodge. But not for long.

A quick whisper of "Jyuuken.", a flat-palmed movement to the chest, a strained cough and the older man fell to his knees, the glint in his eyes fading a few seconds later. _Five left._ Activating the Byakugan to make sure there were no more nins than the ones he had first counted, he took a glance to the rest of his part-time comrades. _Four left. Thr- Two. One left. Done. _Mission complete.

Economic, quick movements, performed emotionlessly, with no questions asked. With the cover of the night more often than not. That was how the ANBU, the Special Forces, worked.

The remaining Kumo nins knelt beside their captured companion, checking for the tell tale vital signs while the rest of them made sure every nuke nin was dead. Happening to pass them by, the young man caught part of the conversation.

"We've no cure?"

"Iie. She won't make it through the night."

That was the way of the shinobi. They gave it their all, their lives belonged in their Kages' hands, their loyalty was dedicated to their village. And by a nasty twist of Fate, it all meant nothing and they could be killed in a matter of seconds, minutes, hours or, if lucky, days. Especially within the ANBU ranks, one was acutely aware of all of this. That was why not many lasted for long within them.

The leaves and the branches they fed off barely moved as chakra enhanced feet landed smoothly for a few milliseconds, before jumping to the nearest one once again. Silent, whispering, quiet. The other squad wasn't really affected by their imminent loss (the female was draped across one's back safely so as not to leave any marks of whoever performed the attack, their trademark; that would be unacceptable) and their pace was steady.

An almost soundless hiss made him immediately activate the Byakugan, just in time to catch sight of a kunai heading his way, an exploding tag wrapped around it. Expertly, one long finger slid into the small hole at the end of the hilt, letting the weapon make a sharp one hundred and eighty degree turn and abruptly change directions. Said action alone would trigger the explosion, but in the short seconds that happened, they would be far enough as not to be affected by it.

This had already left him behind from the rest of the formation, so Neji opted to quickly take care of the sole survivor of their mission without giving the signal to the rest of them. _Did he truly escape me?_ One quick check told him he was not familiar with the chakra readings, so this one had either been checking the vicinity or had an excellent chakra control to be able to go by unnoticed to his eyes.

Behind the black and white mask, his veins were still visible and the flurry of weapons sent his way, albeit connected to the owner by thin, thin slivers of chakra, told him it was not the latter. His control was perfectly average, even if the aim seemed to be excellent.

Still, no amount of heavily thrown weapons pierced through the shield of his Kaiten and he would know; long years of training with Konoha's weapons' mistress let him rest assured of such a fact.

With speed that the enemy could not follow with eyesight, he was behind him and two fingers pressed down on two precise points, each on either side of the man's spine near the neck. The hand going for his midsection, holding a handful of poisoned senbon, never made it.

Long minutes passed in silence, just the casual nocturnal animal howling and snarling and snapping around the forest grounds as the young prodigy passed by overhead towards their camp. The others should have arrived by then.

His feet landed just by the clearing, small and discreet, and he sent a pulse of chakra to let the one watching their site know it was not the enemy. Neji did not feel him or her answer (whoever it was, it didn't honestly matter till he himself was called to relieve that person for the night), but the lack of ninjutsu, genjutsu, weaponry or any other kind of hostile action let him know his silent warning was understood.

Not entering the clearing just yet, the Hyuuga turned his back on it and jumped back into the safety of the canopies.

When he returned, done with checking the perimeter, Neji entered the tent he had placed his belongings in. One perfect, dark brown eyebrow rose once he noticed their wounded (dying) companion up. "You're awake."

The young woman was not wearing her mask, sitting up on the futon while holding up a small cup of tea. A very soft smile caused the corners of her lips to go up. "Arigatou. For not leaving me behind." It would compromise their presence there if someone found out and that was one of the requirements of the ANBU: extreme secrecy. She would die tonight, but she would be buried, forgotten in the middle of the forest, hiding it all.

The young man did not bother to reply. They both knew she had been lucky (for the moment), why voice it? He merely sat down beside his rucksack, his back facing her, crossed his legs and rested his forearms comfortably near his mid-thigh, his fingertips in contact with one another after he adjusted the ANBU mask to set against his temple for the time being, facing the entrance of the tent. Gone was his own hitai-ate, resting at the bottom of his bag for the moment; it was unnecessary during these missions. His colourless eyes drifted close and the only other occupant of the room knew better than to disturb him when he chose to meditate. He would not be moved from that same position for the next hour unless an attack happened or someone entered in a rush.

But something was bothering the Kumo nin, he could feel it as her own bright eyes locked on his back. And even if he could ignore it, he knew.

He knew she'd speak. "You don't need to hide your identity around me, you know." _I'll die soon._ The words were unspoken, but hung between them. Pity, really. She was a good kunoichi. But things happened.

Neji tilted his head a few degrees, simply giving her a better view of his mask. "It's the rules."

"Onegai… Couldn't you just grant me a wish?" he remained silent, but didn't turn back. She continued, "Let me know you. I've been detached from my Genin team and sensei for two years. It doesn't seem much, demo… it is." The boy understood her words. It was true, after all. He knew it from self experience. "I don't have much time. I… Let me feel, even for a moment."

The male got up, hooking a finger over the edge of the mask and taking it off. It was the first time he did it here, out in the open, without counting the time he was alone to bathe. Tch. He finally turned around to face her fully after reaching into his bag and replacing his hitai-ate out of habit.

She was good looking. Her luxurious black hair tumbled over one shoulder in large, rich curls and two piercing bright green eyes stared back at him, that same serene smile on bow shaped lips upon such clear, pale complexion still making him wonder why she wasn't freaking out with her death so close by. Shame she would not have the time to find someone, build a family and live happily. But it wasn't his place to ask why she wasn't frightened by this. He walked closer, standing in the way of a moonbeam that lit his profile from one side, and she blinked.

"Ah. You're a Hyuuga." Neji stopped, frowning slightly, but she merely laughed. "I remember the whole thing from a few years back, that's all. But it's simply that… and your eyes. Your clan is not only well known in Konohagakure no Sato." A barely audible grunt was her response as he sat down by her side, still keeping a safe distance from her. In the ANBU, one was never too careful. And bad habits die hard.

"You don't need to tell me much about you." With the calmness of before, she stared, unafraid, into his translucent hues. "You come from a long generation of shinobi. You've a unique pattern of attacks; that I had already known. Jyuuken, isn't that what you call it?" the female ignored his silence, embracing the fact that he at least did not tell (order) her to shut up. "You hold the power and secret of the Byakugan, a secret my people sought." She also ignored the tensing of his shoulders, the absent way he ran a thumb over the handle of a hidden kunai. "The white eyes, pupil-less and that exist only among the members of your clan."

It wasn't as bad as he thought; it wouldn't honestly take much longer. The sweat was gathering near her temples and her fingers twitched every now and then. With her staring straight into his eyes, it wouldn't seem polite to activate his Kekkei Genkai and check the progress of the poison on her system to tell her to stop and lie back down, but as it was, the time was running out. There was no fighting it, no running from it. Not like he fought his own fate.

"Just tell me something… Are you from the Souke house?" if she was a Konoha nin, he'd use Jyuuken on her for that; such a comment was enough to irk, anger, insult him. But she wasn't. She was just a stranger who didn't even know his given name. Or he, hers. "Or Bunke?"

For once, he said it emotionlessly, no resentment behind his words. Because here, it didn't matter and she was not the one to blame for asking. And she was also dying quickly. "Bunke."

"Sou ka." That confusingly relaxed smile was back. "It must be very hard for you to hold such a weight in your shoulders, ne." his eyes almost widened. Almost. What else did the other villages know about the Hyuuga? Honestly, he didn't expect it to be this much, up till the duty of Bunke members. A pressure against the thin sheet of metal in his forehead protector brought him back, kunai poised at the sensitive skin of her wrist. "Could I… see the curse seal?"

How bothersome this was turning out to be. Yet, her eyes still stared deep into his, almost pleading. A part of him complied, wanted to know what she had in mind. The dark cloth of the hitai-ate landed silently on the ground.

The young woman was now on her knees right across from him, close, too close for comfort. But the unnatural brightness in her eyes told him she wouldn't have it in her to try and slit his throat even if he tipped his head back to let her. It seemed to be a great effort as it was when she lifted a hand up to his forehead.

He hated it. He always had. It was one thing to trace the carved mark himself; it was another to let somebody else do it. It made him feeling restless, exposed, made him look around at anything but at the person doing it. Things he was not known for.

She started on the right side of it, running a gentle fingertip over the straight green line there. Near the middle, she did a little curve, upwards, as he knew she would. She did the same to his other side, starting below, curling, and then straight. Her touch came back one last time to trace the main mark just above the bridge of his nose: one, then two strokes.

As she did, he took the chance to wordlessly activate the Byakugan and nearly winced for it. The poison was practically covering her whole body: her movements were merely accelerating its progress. _She's almost dead now._ And this time, as the veins around his orbs relaxed beneath the smooth skin, his eyes did widen a fraction as he felt soft lips brush over his seal.

Instinct kicked in there and he did pull away, standing up and over her to keep his distance. Once again she smiled and once again, it left him confused beyond words.

"The bird in a cage." She curled her body, on her side, lying down. Her pale cheeks were flushed, her green eyes not focusing any longer. "You'll be free. One day." A quiet, held back groan sounded and then, silence.

Anything that managed to break through the surface and briefly show in his eyes vanished then, the blankness quickly coming up again. He leaned over to retrieve his forehead protector, turned his back on her and returned to his previous spot.

She was meant to die during that mission. She wasn't afraid by that notion either and for that, he respected her, if only a little.

Fate… Fate hadn't scared her. But Fate won even over her courage.

_"I'll change the Hyuuga for you!"  
_  
White eyes closed as the loud promise echoed in his mind once more. Maybe he had let Fate win every single time in the past before that (fated) Chuunin Shiken. But then again, maybe no one won alone against it in the first place. The body behind him seemed to be proof of that.

_But I'm not alone. Not anymore._ A flash of resolute sapphire eyes and red chakra, double wide grins, the gleam of dozens and dozens of weapons and even a shy poke of two index fingers reminded him of such. With support, he may not suffer through the same fate as this young woman (girl?) just did.

Just maybe. 

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ººOwariºº

**DarkFangs:** Review, onegai! I'll give you a cookie if you do xDD Mou mou, so… how was it, a one-shot that took me two days to complete? Should I give it a try and post a multiple-chapter fic in this fandom or not really?


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